NPR: New House Member Supports Clinton

New House Member Supports Clinton

Democrat Jackie Speier, who won a special election to replace the late Democratic Rep. Tom Lantos, who died in February, will be sworn in today. She'll represent California's 12th district in the House. She'll need to win the district again in the fall, but she is expected to easily win reelection - on Tuesday, she won 78 percent of the vote.

Speier's life truly sounds like a novel. From being one of the few survivors in Rep. Leo Ryan's group at Jonestown in the 1978 massacre (she was shot at close range five times and left for dead), to the death of her husband in a car crash, to her work in the California legislature where she became the author of trailblazing consumer protection laws. NPR's Ina Jaffe talked to Speier and it's really worth a listen.

She's now a superdelegate and has informed The Associated Press that she supports Sen. Hillary Clinton.

That increases the number of superdelegates to 795 and the overall number of delegates to 4,048, which increases the number of delegates needed to secure the nomination to 2,025. (Remember, this is the number needed to win WITHOUT counting Florida and Michigan delegates. If Clinton and Sen. Barack Obama can reach an agreement, the number of delegates needed to win will increase.)

Here is a round up of the numbers as they now stand, according to AP.

Total:

Obama: 1638
Clinton: 1502

Pledged:

Obama: 1414
Clinton: 1250

Superdelegates:

Obama: 224
Clinton: 252

8:30 AM ET | 04-10-2008 | permalink

Comments (Send a comment)

No doubt, after seeing Jonestown firsthand it probably gives her the willys when she sees Obama and "the movement."

I wonder how many know that it's the genesis of the "drink the kool-aid" line?

Sent by deek | 9:04 AM ET | 04-10-2008

So you're saying that she didn't drink the Kool-Aid at Jonestown, but she drank it now?

Sent by Sweetie | 10:07 AM ET | 04-10-2008

Hmmmmm...a woman that's obviously strong, smart and innovative supporting Hillary, I guess it takes one to know one...the fog must be clearing in some parts of Obama Country...

Sent by ard | 12:58 PM ET | 04-10-2008

It continues to bother me that especially Democrats in this country contiue to behave and believe that there always has to be this war and as if that if you pledge your support to one democratic candiddate it is a vote particularly against the other candidate. It is as if we are so insecure with our choices that no other choices can even be plausible for us to make our decision. There a few political diferrences between Clinton and Obama. the overall message of each campaign is diffferent. Why can't I just prefer one message over the other without feeling the need to completely destroy or disprove the other message? Why exsactly is it the we cxan't get alond seeing as how the goals are pretty much the same? That would be real change and maybe America isn't ready for it.

Sent by J.A.WILSON | 8:17 AM ET | 04-11-2008

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